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CU runs past California, one of Pac-12's best, 70-57 in Boulder

CU's Austin Dufault (33) celebrates with Andre Roberson (21) as they make their way down the court near the end of the second period. The University of Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball takes on the University of California Golden Bears at the Coors Events Center in Boulder on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post (THE DENVER POST | Kathryn Scott Osler)

BOULDER —Colorado's 11-point lead had been reduced to five with 6½ minutes to go, but Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle showed no signs of panic.

Neither did the three CU seniors on the court — forward Austin Dufault and guards Carlon Brown and Nate Tomlinson — who, playing in their final regular-season home game, remained determined and steady throughout the Buffs' 70-57 victory over Pac-12 kingpin California before a sellout crowd of 11,043 that got the Coors Events Center jumping.

"That's what senior night is all about," Boyle said. "I got the sense that our seniors were not going to let us lose it."

Former CU star Chauncey Billups (in the Rockies hat) watches the Buffs' game against Cal from the floor with his family. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

Three days after turning in perhaps its worst game of the season in a 24-point loss to Stanford in front of another packed house, Colorado (19-9, 11-5 Pac-12) played stingy defense and turned in its most impressive performance of the season. With the victory, the Buffs kept alive their hopes of earning a top-four seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.

The top four seeds earn a first-round bye in the league tourney, March 7-10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"That's our goal," Boyle said.

Getting 15 points each from Dufault and freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie and 15 rebounds from sophomore forward André Roberson, Colorado never trailed after a basket by freshman guard Askia Booker made it 13-12 with 10:39 left in the first half.

"There was no way we were going to let this one slip," said Tomlinson, who scored 11 points and directed traffic impeccably with four assists and no turnovers.

California (23-7, 13-4) shot just 38 percent from the field, had a six-game winning streak snapped and missed an opportunity to take over first place in the conference standings.

Cal entered as the Pac-12's top shooting team (48.5 percent), but Colorado defenders held their ground in the paint and got a hand in the face of the Bears' jump shooters.

"The one thing Colorado does is, they will not let you get to the basket; they really load up at the basket," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said.

How stingy was Colorado's man-to-man defense? On consecutive possessions in the second half, Cal passed the ball from side to side along the perimeter before finally tossing up desperation 3-pointers — just a second before the 35-second shot clock was to expire. Both attempts missed badly.

Boyle said he couldn't explain how his team could look so bad one game and play like world beaters the next.

"You never know (what might happen)," he said after Sunday's victory. "That's what makes college basketball fun."

Getting pummeled by Stanford couldn't have been any fun, but this was to be different. Roberson got some help on the boards (CU won the rebounding battle 39-30), the Buffs made enough shots (43.5 percent) and they prevented Cal from getting enough rhythm to mount even a mini run.

Cal senior guard Jorge Gutierrez, who led Denver's Lincoln High to two state titles, is a candidate for Pac-12 player of the year. But he missed all seven of his shots from the field, with Dinwiddie shadowing his every move. Tomlinson hounded sophomore Justin Cobbs into 3-for-11 shooting.

After what happened Thursday night, "we just wanted to come out with a vengeance," Roberson said.

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